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Static
Electricity 
The Big Spark
Thunder
Safety
Experiments
The Quiz
Glossary
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When Benjamin Franklin experimented with lightning, he was lucky he didn't kill himself. It's too dangerous for ordinary people to experiment with lightning or electricity. But anyone can experiment with static electricity, and not just by shuffling your feet across the carpet and shocking your dog. You can try some of the simple experiments listed below. Each of them is a good example that opposite charges or oppositely charged objects attract each other, and more entertaining than shocking your dog. |
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"Magnetize a Balloon" YOU'LL NEED: a balloon, a piece of fur, silk, nylon or wool, a wall INSTRUCTIONS: Inflate an ordinary balloon. Then rub it briskly on a piece of fur, silk, nylon, or wool. Now put the balloon against a wall and let go. Watch it "stick" to the wall. WHY?: By rubbing the balloon, you're covering it with lots of
little negative charges. The negative charges are attracted to positive
charges in the wall. In fact, they're so attracted they will hold the balloon
against the wall.
YOU'LL NEED: a comb, a piece of fur, silk, nylon or wool, INSTRUCTIONS: Rub a comb briskly against fur, silk, nylon, or wool like you did with the balloon. Then hold the comb near a trickle of water from a faucet. Or try salt and pepper sprinkled on a flat surface, scraps of paper, or even your hair. The charged comb should attract the water, salt, and other objects toward it. It may not be very noticeable due to a weak charge on the comb. WHY?: The comb attracts objects for the same reason the balloon
"stuck" to the wall: The attraction between opposite charges. When you
rubbed the comb, you gave it a negative charge, like the balloon. And like
the balloon, it will also attract the positive charges in objects, like
in the water or your hair.
YOU'LL NEED: "Wint-O- Green" or "Pep-O-Mint" lifesavers, a dark room INSTRUCTIONS: Enter a really dark room and wait a few moments until your eyes get accustomed to the darkness. Then pop a "Wint-O- Green" or "Pep-O-Mint" lifesaver into your mouth. While keeping your mouth open, break up the lifesaver with your teeth and look for sparks. If you do it right, you should see little bluish flashes of light. WHY?: When you break the candy apart, you're breaking apart sugars
inside the candy. The sugars release little electrical charges into the
air. These charges attract oppositely charged nitrogen in the air. When
the two meet, they react in a tiny spark that you can see.
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